Nonwoven fabrics are used for a wide variety of applications from baby wipes and diapers to automobile covers. These applications call for materials having diverse properties and attributes. Some applications, for example, call for nonwovens which are highly wettable, i.e. quickly allow liquids to pass through them, e.g. diapers and feminine hygiene products, while others require a high degree of repellency, e.g. outdoor fabrics like awnings and canopies. It is the latter class of products with which this invention is concerned, specifically, nonwoven materials which have barrier properties and which perform well when exposed to the elements in outdoor usage.
It has been found that the cause of much of the damage to outdoor materials, particularly those which are hydrocarbon based, is ultraviolet radiation or UV light.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a nonwoven laminate which will exhibit barrier performance superior to previous competitive materials in outdoor use and be resistant to UV light.